in London, Ontario at Budweiser Gardens on
Thursday, Sept 29, 2016
by Kim Cyr
KCM-LIVE.COM
Sir Elton John Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario Sept 29, 2016 Photography by John Marshall
The British piano rock legend dazzled a sold-out audience at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario on Thursday, Sept 29, 2016.
Even though it was raining and dreary, the crowd of excited people was electric as they meandered their way into to the concert, several wearing top hats, feather boas and tons of glitter in honour of the performer.
Purple and blue lights bathed the stage and a large spotlight shone down on the shiny Yamaha grand piano that sat vacant, waiting for the singer’s arrival.
Within seconds of the lights dimming and fog seeping onto the stage, the crowd was on its feet as deafening cheers shook the gardens. The 69-year-old musician, born Reginald Dwight, donned a glitter-sleeved black suit that spelled out the initials “EJ” on the back in gold-lined glitter. The outfit was completed with his signature sunglasses.
We got exactly what we expected from the very first synthesized induced Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding to the tickle of the ivories from Sir Elton John delivering peels of Chopinesque runs, arpeggios and filigrees that roam the gamut of the baby grand (with a mirror the length of those 88s, all the better to see his hands reflected in tandem on the stage-wide screen behind him and his band).
No one can play the ivories like John does and in so many different ways. He is truly a legend in song, a legend in lyrics with songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, and a legend as one of the greatest piano players. John was the very reason I grew up with the love of piano and what you could really do with it. John showed us that with his diverse catalogue of music that he has performed for us all for some 47 years since his first album.
Elton's self proclaimed "pudgy" hands belong to a legend craftsman, who can bang out a boogie woogie (“Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”), groove to bouncy pop (“Sad Songs Say So Much”), perform full-out rockers (“Burn Down the Mission”), cavort on doo-wop influenced rock ‘n’ roll (the approximate two-and-one-half hour, some 24-song concert closer, “Crocodile Rock”), tease out rhythm and blues (“I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues”) and explore every black and white key and the cracks between in extended explorations for minutes at a time with song-title guessing intros (the elegiac concert-opener “Funeral For a Friend-Love Lies Bleeding”).
And if the 69-year-old isn’t leaping horizontally, legs flying backward, from the piano anymore, he still reminds us of those diva days as he hops up on the piano right above the keyboard to vogue a pose, appropriately enough for the stridently pumped-up “The Bitch is Back,” with the stage drenched in red light and the title spelled out defiantly on the back screen. Indeed, Sir Elton is back. Of course, he never went away. That he doesn’t take all of this too seriously is evident as he milks the applause, waving his hands and arms for more after his 1950s’ referenced “Bennie and the Jets.”
Sir Elton wore a sequinned, knee-length jacket, with matching trousers, an open-collar dark shirt, and dark eyeglasses that reflected the keyboards in the tinted glass, as if the keyboards were in his eyes, in his head, in his mind.
Indeed, they are in the music he wrote with lyricist Bernie Taupin to become one of the top-selling solo artists of all time with 35 gold records, 25 platinum albums, 29 consecutive Top 40 hits, and more than 250 million records sold worldwide.
In his London concert debut, Sir Elton played to a sold out crowd of 10,200 He took the stage at about 8:04 p.m. and left the stage after an encore at about 10:42 p.m.
In addition to several solo turns at the piano (notably for the biggest selling single of all time, “Candle in the Wind” (more than 37 million copies sold with the combined Candle In The Wind '97, in which he morphed his Marilyn Monroe tribute to honour Lady Di), Sir Elton was backed by a multi-dimensional band that included no less than three percussionists, his longtime drummer, Nigel Olsson, John Mahon and legendary percussionist Ray Cooper, who is always in demand with some of the biggest acts in rock including Phil Collins, Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney, and synthesizers replicating string parts, plus backing vocals from Nigel Olsson, who was in his original three-piece band; Davey Johnstone, who first recorded with him in 1971 and joined the band a year later, guitar; John Mahon, percussion; Kim Bullard, keyboards, and Matt Bissonette, bass.
Legendary Nigel Olsson played for Elton John at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario Sept 29, 2016
Photography by John Marshall
Legendary Nigel Olsson played for Elton John at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario Sept 29, 2016
Photography by John Marshall
Legendary percussionist Ray Cooper played for Eton John at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario
Photography by John Marshall
Legendary Ray Cooper and Matt Bissonette played for Elton John at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario
Photography by John Marshall
Legendary Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone played for Elton John at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario Sept 29, 2016
Photography by John Marshall
And while, since 1969 he has played more than 4,000 concerts worldwide, Sir Elton made the London concert and it's audience feel as if he was singing to each person, not always easy to do in an arena. “We are very happy to be here in London,” he said. “It’s good to have family in Canada . . . my children are Canadian,” John said in a rare moment of calm, well past the two-hour mark. He already had said it was good to visit London where “my husband (David Furnish) went to Western.” “We hope you will enjoy what we play for you.” There soon followed a wistful “Daniel”; a gut-wrenching “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” and two songs from his latest album, “Wonderful Crazy Night,” for which his tour is named: “Looking Up” and “A Good Heart,” the latter, he said, “my favorite track on the album.”
Considering that the most extensive choreography of the night amounted to a brief lounging atop the piano and standing up or crouching at the piano as he played, and that the musicians mostly stayed at their instruments, other than Johnstone, who strolled the stage front and evoked a rocker’s stance for some guitar solos, Sir Elton and his band really rocked out, no more so than on the disco era gem, “Philadelphia Freedom,” which, as with his other uptempo tunes, had the audience on its feet, dancing in place.
After many of his songs, John stood away from the piano and bowed in all four directions of his adoring fans, mouthing thank you, waving sincerely and pointing to those who came out to see him.
Halfway through the night, a soft twinkling piano interlude silenced the attendees before he broke into heavy piano riffs and an impressive 10-minute solo. His fingers glided expertly over the black and white keys, a wide grin spread across his face and he bobbed his head along to the beat.
John made a name for himself with nine No. 1 hits, 27 Top 10 hits and 58 Top 40 singles, 27 Top 10, four No. 2 and nine No. 1. For 31 consecutive years (1970–2000) he had at least one song in the Billboard Hot 100. His single "Candle in the Wind 1997" sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling single in the history of the UK and US singles charts. He has also composed music, produced records, and has occasionally acted in films. The five-time Grammy-winner has also earned an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and Tony Award throughout his nearly 50-year career.
But the singer-songwriter’s voice has maintained the same level of soul and clarity as ever. His unwavering energy kept the crowd on its feet and singing along for the bulk of his upbeat numbers, and even some of the slower hits.
Sir Elton was in fine voice throughout, his stentorian baritone, at times now more basso profondo, rang out across the hall with an operatic import. The concert was nicely paced, with rockers followed by ballads. And it was those hands again that stood out, as gorgeous clusters of chords spun forth, again a lovely intro to a song unknown, in this instance, “Rocket Man.”
There followed an exuberantly delicate “Tiny Dancer”; “Levon,” the latter with a seemingly improvised jam with Johnstone, and then one of the concert’s and Sir Elton’s catalogue set pieces, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” with the stage bathed in gold light.
Sir Elton pulled out a chestnut, “Have Mercy on the Criminal,” from the album, “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player” (1973). Next, it was Sir Elton solo at the piano for “The One,” and then a gorgeous “Your Song,” his first hit record in 1970.
With that, Sir Elton paused to say in what a seemed heartfelt thanks, “I’ve been doing this since 1969 and it’s been an amazing journey. And there’s one thing that’s constant. It’s you guys.”
After a very short break, Elton returned to the stage and proceeded to sign autographs for many of his fans up front the man and his band closed the show with the one-two punch of “Candle In The Wind” and “Crocodile Rock.” When all was said and done, fans of all ages sang, clapped, high-fived, and rocked Budweiser Gardens to help celebrate Elton’s career and music… Wonderful Crazy Night indeed!!!
With that, he launched into “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” Then, he trounced into a triumphant “I’m Still Standing,” at the end of which Sir Elton slammed down the top of the piano. With hands like his, Sir Elton can slam as much as he wants.
Elton John setlist: Budweiser Gardens, Sept. 29, 2016
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
The Bitch Is Back
Bennie And The Jets
I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues
Daniel
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Looking Up (from 2016's Wonderful Crazy Night)
A Good Heart (from 2016's Wonderful Crazy Night)
Philadelphia Freedom
Rocket Man
Tiny Dancer
Levon
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Have Mercy On The Criminal (from 1973's Don’t Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player . . . being played on the 2016 tour, last played in 2004)
The One (solo)
Your Song
Burn Down The Mission
Sad Songs (Say So Much)
(band intros)
Don’t Det The Sun Go Down On Me
All The Young Girls Love Alice
I'm Still Standing
Your Sister Can’t Twist
Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting
(Encore)
Candle In The Wind
Crocodile Rock
-- sources include eltonjohn.com/live